Does YouTube’s Mobile Live Streaming Threaten Facebook?

Popular YouTubers (those with 10,000 subscribers or more) will soon be able to live stream video with their mobile devices. They were, of course, already able to do so via other social media platforms, but they will now be able to do it directly from YouTube. Tech websites label this launch as YouTube’s latest move in competing with social media giants like Facebook, and they’re right: The company clearly wants to keep the upper hand when it comes to online video.

YouTube calls the launch (which was already promised in June 2016) a way to “put the power of live streaming in the hands of hundreds of thousands of talented creators, giving them a more intimate and spontaneous way to share their thoughts, lives, and creativity.” Don’t worry if you feel neglected because you’ve been unable to gain 10,000 subscribers yet. The company assures that “the rest of you will have it soon!”

Mobile live streaming has been built directly into the YouTube mobile app. All you have to do to start streaming is open YouTube, hit the capture button, and you’re live. Streamed videos will have all the same features as regular YouTube videos. They can be searched for, found via recommendations or playlists, and protected from unauthorized use.

“Our mobile live streaming uses YouTube’s rock-solid infrastructure, meaning it’ll be fast and reliable, just the YouTube you know and love. And we’ve been working hand-in-hand with hundreds of creators to refine the mobile streaming experience while they stream from a boat or take live calls from their fans.”

YouTube used the launch of this novelty to also finally roll out Super Chat to creators in more than 20 countries (and viewers in more than 40 countries). Super Chat lets any fan watching a live stream stand out from the crowd and get a creator’s attention by purchasing chat messages that are highlighted in bright colors and stay pinned to the top of the chat window for up to five hours.

“Super Chat gives viewers a chance to add a little visual flair to their chats and gives creators a new way to keep connected to their fans while earning a little money on the side, let’s say for example, while shopping at Target or playing video games.”